CHENNAI: Young men wearing bright-coloured jerseys warmed up before the match at the Netz Cricket Space in Chennai Citi Centre mall at Mylapore. The commentator called the captains from AFC Galaxy and RYA Metro Star teams to the dais for the toss. Both the men shook hands and the commentator tossed a one rupee coin.
We were at the Season 6 of Elite Super Sixes, an indoor cricket tournament held by the Rajasthani Youth Association (RYA) Cosmo Elite in collaboration with Kesar Banquet Hall. An uproar ran through the crowd as RYA Metro Stars won the toss.
“This tournament has been happening every year for the past six years. Teams from the entire Rajasthani Association Fraternity and the Rajasthani Cosmopolis Club take part. It is a composition of around ten clubs of Rajasthani origin and has been started with the intention of increasing community relations between all the clubs,” said Arun Nahar, president of RYA Cosmo Elite.
“Practice starts at least three months in advance for the tournament. The teams have now become competitive and are always eager to get registered,” said former sports chairman at RYA Elite, Raj M. The teams hold tryouts every year where new players are picked and the team is announced a month before the tournament. “We also have a cricket tournament for children and teenage boys up to the age of 14. We generally experience a lot of energy during that time, because all parents come over to cheer and encourage their kids,” added Arun.
This year, the home team has had a line of star players who are affirmative that the winning cup will be theirs.
“We have Siddharth Nahar, Ayush, Gaurav, Akshay and Himanshu Parmar, who are our first-time star players this year,” Arun said proudly. The tournament has eight participating teams with nine players in each team. Three players play as substitutes while the other six are on the field. In the spirit of fraternity, under the umbrella club of RYA Cosmo, the RYA Elite club has been conducting the event. The finals will be held at Netz today.